Is Brampton Transit Fare Increasing Soon?
Published November 22, 2017 at 5:06 am
It’s no secret that bus fare hikes sneak up on commuters every few years in Brampton.
It’s no secret that bus fare hikes sneak up on commuters every few years in Brampton. Now, with Brampton’s 2018 budget in the works, there is some concern that bus fares are set to rise once again.
Brampton Transit is a rapidly growing transit system — possibly one of the fastest growing in Canada. Now, the transit system is facing an unprecedented increase in ridership, projected at 27 million for 2017.
Come 2018, Brampton Transit plans to extend service on certain routes (such as extending the Airport Zum to Malton GO), open the Sandalwood Maintenance facility expansion, and even pilot electric buses!
This is all well and good, but when it comes to Brampton Transit, there is one major factor that concerns commuters.
Bus fare.
Videos
Currently, bus fare stands at $3.75 cash fare for one adult, or $2.95 with PRESTO.
Fare has increased at roughly a steady $0.25 for cash fare over the past few years, and the City’s budget notes a revealing detail about bus fare next year — if the budget is approved, there could be a fare increase. The budget does not, however, detail how much that increase might be.
Brampton’s budget projects that the City will, unsurprisingly, spend some money on service increases, and make some money off of ridership revenue increase and a transit fare increase.
You may know that Brampton’s population has increased by 20 per cent since 2009. But here’s a wild fact: Brampton Transit ridership has nearly doubled during the same period, according to the City.
If you were curious about other major budget details on transit, Brampton Transit’s operating budget is projected at about $66 million in 2018, increasing to over $70 million in 2020, and the Highway 407 Transit Way is still in the works.
The City’s proposed budget also has plans to have 31 new conventional buses and 34 new Zum buses as part of Brampton Transit’s fleet over the next three years.
As for the fare increase, the budget will be approved in December 2017, so we should have more details on the possible hike in the coming months.
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising